Distortion display apparatus, method, and recording medium

ABSTRACT

A distortion display apparatus includes a distortion recording section and a distortion display section. The distortion recording section records the distortion of a golf club shaft during swinging in a first direction and a second direction at each time point when the distortion is measured. The distortion display section displays the distortion with a horizontal axis representing one of the first direction and the second direction and a vertical axis representing the other. The first direction is a direction in which a golf ball is hit by swinging the golf club. The second direction is a direction orthogonal to the shaft and the first direction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to displaying the distortion of a golf club shaft during swinging.

Description of the Related Art

There has conventionally been known an apparatus for analyzing the motion of swinging a golf club (see Abstract of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021 -058302, for example).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Here, it would be beneficial for golf practice and golf club development if the distortion of a golf club shaft during swinging could be displayed such that each swing phase (e.g., backswing, turnaround, and downswing) could be identified.

It is hence an object of the present invention to display the distortion of a golf club shaft during swinging such that each swing phase can be identified.

According to the present invention, a distortion display apparatus includes: a distortion recording section arranged to record the distortion of a golf club shaft during swinging in a first direction and a second direction at each time point when the distortion is measured; and a distortion display section arranged to display the distortion with a horizontal axis representing one of the first direction and the second direction and a vertical axis representing the other, wherein the first direction is a direction in which a golf ball is hit by swinging the golf club, and the second direction is a direction orthogonal to the shaft and the first direction.

According to the thus constructed distortion display apparatus, a distortion recording section is arranged to record the distortion of a golf club shaft during swinging in a first direction and a second direction at each time point when the distortion is measured. A distortion display section is arranged to display the distortion with a horizontal axis representing one of the first direction and the second direction and a vertical axis representing the other. The first direction is a direction in which a golf ball is hit by swinging the golf club. The second direction is a direction orthogonal to the shaft and the first direction.

According to the present invention, the distortion display section may be arranged to display the distortion in a display mode that varies between a first downswing and a second downswing, the first downswing may be a phase in which the golf club shaft is flexed, and the second downswing may be a phase in which the flexed shaft returns.

According to the present invention, the distortion display section may be arranged to display the distortion in a display mode that varies between a first downswing and a second downswing as well as a turnaround, the first downswing may be a phase in which the golf club shaft is flexed, the second downswing may be a phase in which the flexed shaft returns, and the turnaround may be a transitional phase from a backswing to the first downswing.

According to the present invention, the distortion display section may be arranged to display the distortion in a display mode that varies between a turnaround and a first downswing as well as a backswing, the first downswing may be a phase in which the golf club shaft is flexed, and the turnaround may be a transitional phase from the backswing to the first downswing.

According to the present invention, the distortion display section may be arranged to display the distortion in a display mode that varies between a backswing and a turnaround, the turnaround may be a transitional phase from the backswing to a first downswing, and the first downswing may be a phase in which the golf club shaft is flexed.

According to the present invention, the display mode may be any one or more of the color of a graphic with which the distortion is displayed, the thickness and type of lines that constitute the graphic.

According to the present invention, a distortion display method includes: recording the distortion of a golf club shaft during swinging in a first direction and a second direction at each time point when the distortion is measured; and displaying the distortion with a horizontal axis representing one of the first direction and the second direction and a vertical axis representing the other, wherein the first direction is a direction in which a golf ball is hit by swinging the golf club, and the second direction is a direction orthogonal to the shaft and the first direction.

According to the present invention, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes a program of instructions for execution by a computer to perform a distortion display process, the distortion display process including: recording the distortion of a golf club shaft during swinging in a first direction and a second direction at each time point when the distortion is measured; and displaying the distortion with a horizontal axis representing one of the first direction and the second direction and a vertical axis representing the other, wherein the first direction is a direction in which a golf ball is hit by swinging the golf club, and the second direction is a direction orthogonal to the shaft and the first direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a distortion display apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a golf club 2;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the shaft 2 b;

FIG. 4 shows contents recorded in the distortion recording section 14; and

FIG. 5 shows a display mode of the distortion of the shaft 2 b of the golf club 2 during swinging displayed by the distortion display section 18.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will hereinafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a distortion display apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The distortion display apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention comprises a distortion measurement result receiving section 12, a distortion recording section 14, a swing phase acquiring section 16, and a distortion display section 18.

The distortion measurement result receiving section 12 is arranged to receive a distortion measurement result transmitted from a distortion measurement result transmitter 8. The distortion measurement result transmitter 8 is attached to a shaft 2 b of a golf club 2.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a golf club 2. The golf club 2 has a head 2 a, a shaft 2 b, and a grip 2 c. Note here that hands of a person (player) holding the grip 2 c is not shown in FIG. 2 . A golf ball 4 is placed in front of the head 2 a. The head 2 a is connected to the grip 2 c via the shaft 2 b. The player holds the grip 2 c, swings the golf club 2, and hits the golf ball 4 with the head 2 a.

The direction in which the golf ball 4 is hit by swinging the golf club 2 is a first direction H. The direction orthogonal to the first direction H and the shaft 2 b is a second direction V.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the shaft 2 b. Strain gauges 9H, 9V are attached to the shaft 2 b. The shaft 2 b has a circular cross-section and the strain gauge 9H is arranged in the vicinity of the intersection of a straight line (H axis) extending in the first direction H through the center (not shown) of that circle and the outer periphery of the shaft 2 b (the rightmost point on the outer periphery of the shaft 2 b). The shaft 2 b has a circular cross-section and the strain gauge 9V is arranged in the vicinity of the intersection of a straight line extending in the direction (not shown) orthogonal to the first direction H through the center (not shown) of that circle and the outer periphery of the shaft 2 b (the lowermost point on the outer periphery of the shaft 2 b).

The strain gauge 9H is arranged to measure the distortion in the first direction H of the shaft 2 b of the golf club 2 during swinging at time points t1, t2, t3, ... when the distortion is measured.

The strain gauge 9V is arranged to measure the distortion in the second direction V of the shaft 2 b of the golf club 2 during swinging at time points t1, t2, t3, ... when the distortion is measured.

The distortion measurement result transmitter 8 is arranged to transmit measurement results of the strain gauges 9H and 9V.

The distortion recording section 14 is arranged to receive and record results received at the distortion measurement result receiving section 12. That is, the distortion recording section 14 is arranged to record the distortion in the first direction H and the second direction V of the shaft 2 b of the golf club 2 during swinging at time points t1, t2, t3, ... when the distortion is measured.

FIG. 4 shows contents recorded in the distortion recording section 14. The distortion recording section 14 is arranged to record (H1, V1), (H2, V2), and (H3, V3) correspondingly to the time points t1, t2, and t3, respectively. Note here that H1, H2, and H3 represent the distortion in the first direction (H-axis direction), while V1, V2, and V3 represent the distortion in the second direction (V-axis direction).

The swing phase acquiring section 16 is arranged to acquire a swing phase (among, with reference to FIG. 5 , a backswing Sb (indicated by the curve P0-P1), a turnaround St (indicated by the curve P1-P2), a first downswing Sd 1 (indicated by the curve P2-P3), and a second downswing Sd 2 (indicated by the curve P3-Im)) based on the contents recorded in the distortion recording section 14. The thus acquired swing phase is provided to the distortion display section 18.

The distortion display section 18 is arranged to display the distortion with a horizontal axis representing one of the first direction H and the second direction V and a vertical axis representing the other of the first direction H and the second direction V. An example will hereinafter be described in which the distortion is displayed with the horizontal axis representing the first direction H and the vertical axis representing the second direction V. It is noted that the distortion display section 18 is arranged to display the distortion in a display mode (any one or more of the color of a displayed graphic, the thickness and type of lines that constitute the displayed graphic) that varies between swing phases.

FIG. 5 shows a display mode of the distortion of the shaft 2 b of the golf club 2 during swinging displayed by the distortion display section 18.

The swing of the golf club 2 starts with a backswing Sb (indicated by the curve P0-P1) and continues to a turnaround St (indicated by the curve P1-P2), a first downswing Sd 1 (indicated by the curve P2-P3), and a second downswing Sd 2 (indicated by the curve P3-Im)). It is noted that the second downswing Sd 2 ends with the impact Im.

It is noted that the turnaround St is a transitional phase from the backswing Sb to the first downswing Sd 1. The first downswing Sd 1 is a phase in which the shaft 2 b of the golf club 2 is flexed. The second downswing Sd 2 is a phase in which the flexed shaft 2 b returns.

Note here that the downswing can be divided into the first downswing Sd 1 and the second downswing Sd 2 around the time point when the distortion in the second direction V has a maximum value Vmax.

The distortion display section 18 is arranged to display the distortion in a display mode that varies between the first downswing Sd 1 and the second downswing Sd 2. For example, the type of lines that constitute the displayed graphic is varied for display (e.g. the first downswing Sd 1 is indicated by a solid line and the second downswing Sd 2 is indicated by a dotted line). It will be appreciated that the color of the displayed graphic may be varied (e.g. the first downswing Sd 1 is indicated by yellow green and the second downswing Sd 2 is indicated by blue). Alternatively, the thickness of lines that constitute the displayed graphic may be varied for display.

The distortion display section 18 is arranged to display the distortion in a display mode that varies between the first downswing Sd 1 and the second downswing Sd 2 as well as the turnaround St. For example, the type of lines that constitute the displayed graphic is varied for display (e.g. the first downswing Sd 1 is indicated by a solid line and the second downswing Sd 2 and the turnaround St are each indicated by a dotted line). It will be appreciated that the color of the displayed graphic may be varied (e.g. the turnaround St is indicated by orange, the first downswing Sd 1 is indicated by yellow green, and the second downswing Sd 2 is indicated by blue). Alternatively, the thickness of lines that constitute the displayed graphic may be varied for display.

The distortion display section 18 is arranged to display the distortion in a display mode that varies between the turnaround St and the first downswing Sd 1 as well as the backswing Sb. For example, the type of lines that constitute the displayed graphic is varied for display (e.g. the turnaround St is indicated by a dotted line and the first downswing Sd 1 and the backswing Sb are each indicated by a solid line). It will be appreciated that the color of the displayed graphic may be varied (e.g. the turnaround St is indicated by orange, the first downswing Sd 1 is indicated by yellow green, and the backswing Sb is indicated by magenta). Alternatively, the thickness of lines that constitute the displayed graphic may be varied for display.

The distortion display section 18 is arranged to display the distortion in a display mode that varies between the backswing Sb and the turnaround St. For example, the type of lines that constitute the displayed graphic is varied for display (e.g. the turnaround St is indicated by a dotted line and the backswing Sb is indicated by a solid line). It will be appreciated that the color of the displayed graphic may be varied (e.g. the turnaround St is indicated by orange and the backswing Sb is indicated by magenta). Alternatively, the thickness of lines that constitute the displayed graphic may be varied for display.

Next will be described an operation according to the embodiment of the present invention.

First, the player holds the grip 2 c, swings the golf club 2, and hits the golf ball 4 with the head 2 a (see FIG. 2 ). Upon this, the distortion of the shaft 2 b is measured with the strain gauges 9H, 9V (see FIG. 3 ) and the measurement results are transmitted through the distortion measurement result transmitter 8.

The distortion measurement results transmitted through the distortion measurement result transmitter 8 are received by the distortion measurement result receiving section 12 and recorded in the distortion recording section 14 (see FIG. 4 ). For example, (H1, V1), (H2, V2), and (H3, V3) are recorded in the distortion recording section 14 correspondingly to the respective time points t1, t2, and t3 when the distortion is measured.

The contents recorded in the distortion recording section 14 are read out by the swing phase acquiring section 16 to acquire a swing phase (among, with reference to FIG. 5 , a backswing Sb (indicated by the curve P0-P1), a turnaround St (indicated by the curve P1-P2), a first downswing Sd 1 (indicated by the curve P2-P3), and a second downswing Sd 2 (indicated by the curve P3-Im)).

The thus acquired swing phase is provided to the distortion display section 18. The distortion is displayed by the distortion display section 18 in a display mode that varies between swing phases (see FIG. 5 ).

For example, the distortion display section 18 displays the distortion by varying the type of lines that constitute a graphic with which the distortion is displayed (e.g. the backswing Sb is indicated by a solid line, the turnaround St is indicated by a dotted line, the first downswing Sd 1 is indicated by a solid line, and the second downswing Sd 2 is indicated by a dotted line).

Alternatively, the distortion display section 18 may display the distortion by varying the color of a graphic with which the distortion is displayed (e.g. the backswing Sb is indicated by magenta, the turnaround St is indicated by orange, the first downswing Sd 1 is indicated by yellow green, and the second downswing Sd 2 is indicated by blue).

In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, since the distortion of the shaft 2 b is displayed with the horizontal axis representing one of the first direction H and the second direction V and the vertical axis representing the other of the first direction H and the second direction V, each swing phase (backswing Sb, turnaround St, first downswing Sd 1, and second downswing Sd 2) can be easily identified.

Moreover, in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, since the distortion of the shaft 2 b is displayed in a display mode (any one or more of the color of a displayed graphic, the thickness and type of lines that constitute the displayed graphic) that varies between swing phases, each swing phase can be more easily identified.

Incidentally, the above-described embodiment may be achieved as follows. A computer including a CPU, a hard disk, and a medium (USB memory, CD-ROM, or the like) reading device is caused to read a medium with a program recorded thereon that achieves the above-described components (e.g. the distortion measurement result receiving section 12, the distortion recording section 14, the swing phase acquiring section 16, and the distortion display section 18) and install the program in the hard disk. The above-described features can also be achieved in this manner.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERAL

-   1 Distortion Display Apparatus -   12 Distortion Measurement Result Receiving Section -   14 Distortion Recording Section -   16 Swing Phase Acquiring Section -   18 Distortion Display Section -   Sb Backswing -   St Turnaround -   Sd 1 First Downswing -   Sd 2 Second Downswing -   Im Impact 

What is claimed is:
 1. A distortion display apparatus, comprising: a distortion recording section arranged to record the distortion of a golf club shaft during swinging in a first direction and a second direction at each time point when the distortion is measured; and a distortion display section arranged to display the distortion with a horizontal axis representing one of the first direction and the second direction and a vertical axis representing the other, wherein the first direction is a direction in which a golf ball is hit by swinging the golf club, and the second direction is a direction orthogonal to the shaft and the first direction.
 2. The distortion display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distortion display section is arranged to display the distortion in a display mode that varies between a first downswing and a second downswing, the first downswing is a phase in which the golf club shaft is flexed, and the second downswing is a phase in which the flexed shaft returns.
 3. The distortion display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distortion display section is arranged to display the distortion in a display mode that varies between a first downswing and a second downswing as well as a turnaround, the first downswing is a phase in which the golf club shaft is flexed, the second downswing is a phase in which the flexed shaft returns, and the turnaround is a transitional phase from a backswing to the first downswing.
 4. The distortion display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distortion display section is arranged to display the distortion in a display mode that varies between a turnaround and a first downswing as well as a backswing, the first downswing is a phase in which the golf club shaft is flexed, and the turnaround is a transitional phase from the backswing to the first downswing.
 5. The distortion display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distortion display section is arranged to display the distortion in a display mode that varies between a backswing and a turnaround, the turnaround is a transitional phase from the backswing to a first downswing, and the first downswing is a phase in which the golf club shaft is flexed.
 6. The distortion display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display mode is any one or more of the color of a graphic with which the distortion is displayed, the thickness and type of lines that constitute the graphic.
 7. A distortion display method, comprising: recording the distortion of a golf club shaft during swinging in a first direction and a second direction at each time point when the distortion is measured; and displaying the distortion with a horizontal axis representing one of the first direction and the second direction and a vertical axis representing the other, wherein the first direction is a direction in which a golf ball is hit by swinging the golf club, and the second direction is a direction orthogonal to the shaft and the first direction.
 8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including a program of instructions for execution by a computer to perform a distortion display process, said distortion display process comprising: recording the distortion of a golf club shaft during swinging in a first direction and a second direction at each time point when the distortion is measured; and displaying the distortion with a horizontal axis representing one of the first direction and the second direction and a vertical axis representing the other, wherein the first direction is a direction in which a golf ball is hit by swinging the golf club, and the second direction is a direction orthogonal to the shaft and the first direction. 